Catch Fire (Luke Hemmings Fanfiction)

Light A Fire

LOU'S POV: Light A Fire – Rachel Taylor

"Baby when it's cold outside, I will keep you warm, save you from the storm

I will light a fire and the embers bright will guide you through the night

Keep your bright eyes looking up to the sky now, chin up, be proud

Walk strong like a soldier onto the battleground, breathe in, breathe out"

I don't see the boys for almost a week after that. They're constantly at radio shows and interviews for a fancy music magazine and photoshoots for the upcoming album and they even fly out to Europe to play for an award show at some point. And even when they're in LA, they wake up earlier and go to bed later than me.

Meanwhile I spend my time working in the studio, adding the final touches to my album, which Jude and I finally have all the tracks for down. Any time off I spend shopping and partying, living the rockstar life. But despite the parties and the music and all the good fun, I can feel the absence of the boys in my veins.

It's okay for the three days Vince is still here. He and Evan really hit it off, and they're very entertaining to say the least. But even then, they can't necessarily replace the life that the 5SOS boys infuse wherever they go. And when I've dropped Vince off at the airport and he's gone home, the loneliness makes a crashing comeback.

Not to mention I, well, I miss Luke. But at least the week off has given me some time to come to terms with the fact that my feelings from that night weren't induced by marijuana. I do love Luke, for some strange reason, somehow I didn't only get addicted to his touch, but to his words, to his mind, to his smile. It's fucked up, really, considering Luke is far from feeling the same. I'm sure he appreciates my existence, but at the end of the day he only sees me as someone he can easily have sex with.

The fifth day after Vince's departure, I come home early from the studio, where Jude and I have decided on my next single, which is to drop in two days. After sending mysterious tweets about it from my Twitter account, as well as a picture on my official Instagram page, I'm headed for a nap. It's only when I go upstairs that I realize the boys are home. I can hear Ashton and Calum whispering in one of the rooms, and can only guess that they're taking a well-deserved nap.

Despite that, I can't resist the urge to at least say hi to Luke, and knock softly on his door before entering. He's sitting on his bed, back against the wall and chin on his knees as he fiddles with his phone. He looks up when I walk in, and I let out the softest of gasps.

He looks absolutely trashed. Between his messy, slightly greasy hair, the paleness of his skin and the gigantic bags under his eyes, it's like he hasn't slept in a week. Which, admittedly, might just be the case.

"Hey," I say softly as I sit next to him on the bed. "You uh...you look terrible."

He throws his head back against the wall and laughs, the sound loud and bordering on hysterical until suddenly his shoulders are shaking but I'm not sure he's laughing anymore. There's the most horrible pressure in my chest as I surge forward, taking hold of his shoulders.

"Luke, hey, are you okay?"

He doesn't answer but this time I can tell it's sobs erupting raw and choked from his chest, low and almost silent but there's gasps and fuck, there's tears and I don't know what to do because the strongest, least emotional person I've ever met is crumbling under my eyes.

"Wait, wait come here," I gasp out and pull him into my arms, not even sparing a second thought to the fact that he probably doesn't want me to see him like this and that I'm not the person he wants to comfort him, because he's here and he's hurting and I can't handle it.